Darkwing telling Gizmoduck that "they shoot the dog in the last act [of the movie playing at the theater when they crash through the roof]" is likely a reference to Old Yeller (1957).
The episode features a cameo of Scrooge McDuck on a sign saying "Welcome to Duckburg" as Fenton gets out of his Gizmoduck suit behind the sign. He is also indirectly mentioned by Launchpad, who says "Fenton and I used to work for the same guy."
Chronologically, this episode marks Gizmoduck's first appearance on Darkwing Duck. However, due to the anachronistic airing order, it ended up airing as Gizmoduck's second appearance on the show (the first being "Just Us Justice Ducks").
This was one of four Darkwing Duck episodes that was banned after its initial airings (the other three being "Aduckyphobia (1991)", "Bearskin Thug (1991)", and "Hot Spells (1992)"). Oddly enough, clips from this episode were used in Toon Disney's promos for the show in 2002-04.